Men fail to understand stroke

Many older Australian men do not know what a stroke is - despite
being in the group most likely to have one.

The National Stroke Report 2006 found an increase in the number
of people who understand that a stroke is a condition linked with
the brain.

However, the results showed one in five people aged over 40
could not name one sign of the stroke, and men in particular were
likely to confuse it with a heart attack.

Dr Erin Lalor, chief executive of the Stroke Foundation which
commissioned the study, said more education was needed to get
Australians to recognise when they are having a stroke so they
could get to hospital faster and reduce brain damage.

"Clearly there's still a lot of work to do," Dr Lalor said.
"Certainly we've recognised that men are not as aware of the signs
as women which is of particular concern given that they are more at
risk of stroke than women."

Stroke occurs when the supply of blood to the brain is
disrupted. Early signs include weakness, numbness in the face, arm
or leg, difficulty speaking, headache, dizziness or loss of
vision.

The condition affects more than 40,000 Australians every year
and is the country's third largest killer after cancer and heart
disease.

Dr Lalor said there was one significant piece of good news to
come from the survey of more than 2,000 people.

The number of people who said they would rest rather than seek
urgent medical help dropped from 21 per cent in 2003 to 13 per cent
this year.

"It was a relief to see this change because a stroke really is a
medical emergency," she said. "Now we've got them knowing how to
respond, we've got to get them recognising when they have one."